As a huge fan of Rescue Me, it was my mission to get an interview with Natalie Distler who plays Colleen on the FX show that premieres its 5th season tonight at 10pm.

So I was more than thrilled to be able to talk to Natalie (on March 25, 2009) about Rescue Me, her singing career (she can sing!!!), and more.

So where do we see your character go this season on Rescue Me?
We definitely see her grow up a little bit. She is getting older and not as much of a brat anymore. She is growing up, maybe in a relationship and she is turning into a woman.

So would you say that is where you would like to see your character go?
Yeah. My character has gone so many different places. In the last 5 years she has been a lesbian, born again Christian, almost died in a car accident, and so on. I always love to see what the writers come up with. I love the direction for Colleen this season.

What can you tell us about the season premiere episode?
It is a really great episode. It is probably best yet of the season. There are definitely some good story lines. There will be some surprises and twists. It will be really good!

Based on the promo for Season 5, you might have more interaction with a certain firefighter. What can you tell us about this particular storyline?
I don’t want to give too much away but there is something going on with Sean. There might be something there but you have to wait and see. We were all left hanging last season with everyone at the picnic. So it will definitely be part of the storyline and it will be good!

Now compare your family on the show with your family in real life.
We are complete opposites. Every family is dysfunctional in some shape or form but I have an absolutely wonderful relationship with my mother and my dad. I have a brother who is 5 years younger than me and he is the coolest kid I have ever met. We are a really close family. It is not as screwed up as the Gavin family.

When did shooting for Season 5 begin?
We started filming in April 2008 and I just shot the season finale this past week. So we have been filming for about a year straight.

Wow. So you know everything.
Yeah. It’s crazy because it is almost like we never thought we would even start again. We were on break so long because of the strike but then we got picked up for 22 episodes, which has been wonderful opposed to the normal 13. It has been a long time but it has been fantastic.

What was your favorite episode from Season 4?
The beginning of last season, I had some great scenes with Denis (Leary). Anytime I get to work with the guys at the firehouse I think that is really fun because most of my scenes are with me and my mom or Denis.

What is it like working with Denis Leary?
He is awesome. I have been working with him since I was 14 years old. He is such a nice guy and he is hysterical. It really is a pleasure to work with him. I feel really blessed and lucky to be part of the show and work with him so often.

And Andrea (Roth)?
She is wonderful too. We talked actually a few days ago on the phone. She is fantastic. The whole cast is so talented and amazing.

Have you seen the minisodes?
I got to watch a few of them when they first started airing. The ones that I did see were hysterical. Those guys are funny. That was a clever idea since we have been filming for so long but waiting to get back on the air. The minisodes built great anticipation for the show.

Well, it was a terrible tease.
I know! That is the other side of it. That is so true but we are almost to April 7th 10pm! Almost there.

So do you ever check the Official Rescue Me Forum?
I don’t actually. Sometimes you don’t want to read what other people are saying, so I try to stay away from that.

Recently on the Forum there has been a bit of a heated discussion over whether 9/11 was a conspiracy, it was a government inside job, etc… and how that could affect this season.
I don’t really know if it has affected the season.

Okay. So moving on to your singing…you are really talented! You are an amazing singer. When did you start singing?
It has kind of gone hand in hand. Singing was how it started for me. I was in musical theatre at 4 years old so that really struck a chord. I just couldn’t stop. Singing is everything to me. It is a huge part of me.

Any update on you and the other half of your singing duo, Kyle Archer?
Things are going really well. We had a sold out show at the Knitting Factory recently so that was great. We are back in the studio. We just wrote with Marc from OAR the other day so that was fantastic. We have posted some new stuff on Myspace and hopefully we will be releasing an album soon.

How long after you met Kyle did you guys start working together?
Pretty instantly actually. We met 3 years ago. He goes to college in Orange County but he was on spring break in NY when we met at a recording studio. We exchanged information and talked everyday and when he finished that year of school, he moved to NY. We played at The Bitter End every week and all around Manhattan. It wasn’t until we got to LA that we played with a full band.

I was also on your Youtube page but there is only 1 video. What’s up with that?
I know, we really have to do something about that. That is on our list of things to do, put some videos up of our recent shows and stuff. That one video is really old too (laughs).

So you said you were in musical theatre?
I did that up until I was 13/14 years old. Then I got Rescue Me and I was too busy.

Are you thinking about Broadway?
I would absolutely love to be on Broadway. That has been a dream of mine my whole life. I have been on Off Broadway before and been in numerous plays but I would love to be on Broadway. That would be absolutely amazing. When I was younger, that is how I was vocally trained.

Do you have a dream Broadway role?
My dream role was Eponine in Les Misérables but the revival closed. I would have loved to play her. I am crossing my fingers for another revival. I can’t tell you how many times I saw it on Broadway when I was younger.

When you were filming Rescue Me did you have time to see anything on Broadway?
I didn’t but I plan to see a play when I come to NY for the Rescue Me Premiere Party.

Do you primarily live in LA?
I do live in Orange County. I lived in LA for awhile but my friends are down here and I like it more. I have been in California for about 2 years. For Rescue Me, I just went back and filmed all of my scenes in a few days each block and just flew back.

Okay. With that, thank you so much for your time!

Thank you!